


Revenge Is A Dish Best Served Cold

by Ravenclaw_Peredhel



Category: Dragonriders of Pern - Anne McCaffrey
Genre: F/M, Menolly is a BAMF, Menolly is a good parent, Sebell is a good parent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:00:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27253843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ravenclaw_Peredhel/pseuds/Ravenclaw_Peredhel
Summary: When the weyrleader visits Half-Circle Sea Hold one day, he brings some unexpected, and rather unwelcome, guests with him.
Relationships: Menolly/Sebell (Dragonriders of Pern)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 24





	1. Back Again

**Author's Note:**

> Set sometime before Oterel of Tillek's death . So, the setting for this is after Sebell became Masterharper and Robinton recovered enough to go between. I headcanon that there is a sort of progress when a new Craftmaster is appointed with the new Craftmaster, their family and if possible the old Craftmaster, so that everyone can meet them. F'lar and Lessa are there because one of the queens just clutched and they don't want to deal with the drama of a broody queen. Just go with it please. Although I'm not sure when Robse was born so...

''Mama, Mama! Look! Bird!" Robse leaned out, ending up dangerously tilted over Ramoth's side as he tried to follow the wherry's path. Menolly sighed and pulled him back as the big dragon rumbled in alarm at the precarious position of the little boy. She held him securely against her instead of letting him test the straps of Ramoth's harness. It wasn't that she didn't trust the workmanship, merely her son's ingenuity. Sebell chuckled across from her and she rolled her ees. Robse was his child too in case he forgot.

"We're there." F'lar's simple statement drained all the pleasure out of her. Beneath them spread the cliffs of her childhood, as grey and dreary as ever despite the gay flags adorning the face. She shuddered, feeling the cold seep into her bones through the rich fabrics of her dress that had withstood _Between_.

Mnementh and Ramoth banked and flew downward in a steep glide before pulling up sharply and landing neatly in the harbour, resulting in a squeal of joy from Robse. They dismounted easily, Robse delighted as always to ride a dragon and Robinton grumbling about their overprotectiveness. The nerve of that man. They had just learned of a plot against him, could they be blamed? No. 

She took Robse from her husband and placed the little boy on her hip, remembering the shells that littered the beach. Sebell took her gitar and music from the luggage F'lar was passing out with the ease of long practice, though Yanus was nowhere to be seen. "Ah, Weyrleader F'lar, Weyrwoman Lessa, Masters Robinton, Menolly Sebell a pleasure." As always, Elgion was smoothing over the Holder's slight. She turned her head, and suddenly she was fifteen and facing a beating for 'tuning' again.

********************

Yanus had not thought of his youngest daughter in years. If she came up at all, his face would become stony and the subjects would change. He had never listened to amy of the rumours surrounding her, had never thought he would see her again.

So, as he watched the Weyleaders dragons come in, Menolly could not be farther from his mind. After all, the new Masterharper, his family and the old Masterharper were hardly further from his instranisgent daughter. As the great beasts landed, he caught the first sign of something wrong. A child's squeal floated over to where he stood, hands raised to avoid the sand being whipped up by the wind. Harper Elgion was next to him, badgering on about something to do with the latest Gather at Fort. He gathered from the snippets he heard that Master Sebell's two sons had caused some sort of trouble with their mother's fire-lizards, but he lost interest. 

Weyrleader F'lar was the first to dismount, tall and lean as ever, unchanged from the first time that Yanus had ever met him, clad in a fine red tunic. Weyrwoman Lessa dismounted from her golden Ramoth next, her vivid red dress whirling about her, as unchanged as her weyrmate. Then a man jumped down, brown and handsome, clad in Harper blue from head to toe, the new Masterharper, Sebell as he recalled. A little boy was handed down to him, with vivid red hair and a delighted squeal as he traversed the gap between the dragon and his father. The next passenger was a woman, tall and beautiful with vivid red hair, wearing a fine dress of Harper blue. He completely missed the old Masterharper's dismounting in his utter horror. She was here, the disgrace. Lord Oterel moved forward to greet them and he found himself following on stiff legs, mind working frantically, trying to work out why she was here.

She took the little boy from the man, smiling and whispering to both before watching as instruments and music were unloaded from the dragons and it clicked. Master Sebell must have taken a fancy to her, though he had no idea why, and kept her around. Hopefully he would tire of her and leave her here at the end of the visit. Harper Elgion greeted them and then she saw him. He barely managed to greet Masterharper Sebell correctly, especially knowing that he had fathered at least one child on the disgrace. Did he not know what she was?

****************

Menolly was regretting her decision to come. Why had she agreed to come again? Oh yes, because her last ditch excuse of having to look after Olos and Lemsia had been neatly side-stepped by Silvina offering to watch them while she went and 'had a nice time' with her husband and oldest child. No. She would never be able to 'have a nice time' at Half-Circle Sea Hold. Not with the threat of beatings for 'tuning' hanging over her at every turn. Then it clicked. She wasn't going to be beaten. Not anymore. They held no power, no jurisdiction over her.

She held her head high and met Yanus's judgemental gaze. She was Master Menolly of the Harper Hall, one of the foremost Composition Masters on Pern, wife of the Masterharper. A surprised laugh almost forced it's way out her at a sudden realisation. She outranked both of her parents. They were Minor Holders, but the head of a craft held a rank equal to that of a major Lord, and as Sebell's wife, she held a rank equivalent to a Lady Holder of a major hold. 

This realisation gave her the strength to greet her father graciously, as though he were any one of a number of minor Holders she had met during the course of their journey.

"Holder Yanus. It is a pleasure to meet you." He grunted and jerked his head and she barely contained her laughter. Oh, this was going to be so fun.


	2. Sisters Two

Menolly was not normally vindictive, but when she saw Sella, she could not help the triumph that welled up within her. When they were children, Sella had always been the example, the pretty one who would marry well and early while Menolly was the awkward ugly one whom no one wanted to remember. Now, the tables were turned.

Sella was still pretty, but her beauty was faded, probably by Turns of sea spray, child-bearing and hard labour. Her dress was well-made but with plain and serviceable fabric. She had been married to a simple fisherman who served Yanus the moment she reached a score of Turns, and the hard life of a fisherman's wife showed in her prematurely lined face and faded beauty. Menolly on the other hand, was lovely still, as fair and striking as the day she arrived at the Harper Hall, if not more so. Her dress was made by Masterweaver Zurg himself, sapphires from Masterminer Nicat's mines adorning her in beautiful jewellry commissioned by Sebell from Mastersmith Fandarel for their sixth anniversary. She had been married when she was just shy of a score of Turns to the man who was now Masterharper of all Pern and had born him three children - two strong sons and a beautiful daughter. 

The daughter with promise was the wife of a humble fisherman with a brood of demanding children and a boring, stagnant life. The daughter who was a disappointment was the wife of the Masterharper of Pern, famous and beautiful with three perfect children and a life full of adventure and fun. Menolly felt a wide grin spread across her face, though she masked it by bending to whisper to Robse.

*****************

Sella was quite sure that she was dreaming. There was Menolly, the disappointing tomboy who disappeared ten Turns ago, wearing rich clothes and jewels, carrying a little boy on her hip. What did she think she was playing at? 

"Menolly! What are you doing? Get out of sight before the MasterHarpers see you putting on such airs." She grabbed for her sister, determined to get the disgrace out of sight and into some decent clothes. Doubtless she had stolen them. It never occured to Sella that maybe they belonged to Menolly. The younger woman evaded her neatly, and smiled coldly. 

"Sella it's been a while."

"Menolly? Who is this?" A tall handsome man had come up to them, putting his arm around Menolly's shoulder. The new Masterharper. He knew Menolly by name. Sella's heart sank suddenly. She desperately hoped that Menolly was not who she realized she was - the first woman Master Harper, wife of the Masterharper, bonded to ten fire lizards. The woman was practicallly a legend. 

"Sebell! Where did you come from?" Sella turned and fled. All this time she had been convinced that the famous Menolly only happened to bear the same name as her disgraceful sister. Had been certain that Menolly was even worse off than she. Faced with the hard truth, that Menolly was one of the most famous and powerful women in Pern, it was almost more than she could bear. 

************

Menolly grinned as her sister made her excuses and hurriedly left. It felt good to finally get a little of her own back on the people who had scorned and hurt her for her entire life among them. 

Probably Sella was stuck on Old Uncle duty as well.


End file.
